


Switch?

by notsugarandspice



Series: Prompts [2]
Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Blind Date, Eddie is... just a perfect boy, First Dates, First Meetings, M/M, Mmm yeah, POV Richie Tozier, Reddie, Stupid Boys, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, bad blind dates lead to cute dates apparently, powdered sugar covered lips, they're in mid 20s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-03 21:52:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14578431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsugarandspice/pseuds/notsugarandspice
Summary: From two tumblr prompts:1) Prompt: Eddie & Richie both on blind dates but not with each other and they end up together? Either instead of or during the blind date. :D2) yoooo dude i loved that little blind date prompt. would you ever consider doing a part two? i’d definitely read it!!! xx





	Switch?

“Yeah, so I guess I never wanted to get a Masters but what are you gonna do? I don’t really see myself teaching middle schoolers. What are you-“

Richie’s speech was interrupted by his date’s blatant staring. Instead of listening to the question  _he_ asked, the man was looking to the side, eyeing a bulky dark-skinned man sitting at a table two feet away from them. Richie wasn’t a fan of blind dates, to begin with, but this shamelessly disrespectful treatment had his irritation spiking by the second.

Richie tapped a knife on his glass of red wine. “Hey!”

His voice was loud enough for the other table to hear but he didn’t care - he just wanted to get out of there.

Blue eyes met his brown ones, and the date frowned, dumbfounded. “What?”

“You’ve been staring at that guy for almost a whole hour. I’m not a fucking idiot, you know,” said Richie, pointing a fork with some fries on it in the direction of  _the_ guy.

“You’re observant,” said the man with a straight face, turning it again to burrow his eyes into the other stranger.

“And you’re a dick.” Richie doesn’t want the meal go to waste, so he keeps stuffing himself with the fries, leaving the steak untouched. He only ordered it because he hasn’t had it in a while, but red meat wasn’t his favorite.

“It’s just a blind date. You didn’t even seem excited over the phone.” The man nonchalantly took his glass of white and started tilting it from side to side, his eyes never leaving the other table.

Richie looked over there and suddenly felt a pang of jealousy at the date the other two were having. The handsome guy his date was fawning over was laughing hard, trying not to spill his beer. There was an empty plate of food in front of him, and an empty basket of bread in the middle. Richie looked at the other man and involuntarily smiled because the second guy was laughing too, and there were pretty dimples in the middle of his cheeks.  _Why couldn’t_ I  _get a date who laughs or at least fucking smiles?_

“Doesn’t mean you should take me out and then gawk at someone else.” Richie quickly finished his glass of wine and crossed the silverware on the plate, leaning back into the seat.

“Look, you’re hilarious and may or may not be stupid attractive, but I don’t feel anything to you. What the fuck do you want me to do?” asked the guy, running fingers through dirty blond hair.

Richie took out a cheap Spiderman wallet from his pocket and slammed a fifty dollar bill on the table, standing up quickly. The wooden chair made a noise in an otherwise quiet restaurant.

“Go fuck him on that table, whatsyourname,  _STAN,”_ spat Richie and started walking towards the front door, ignoring the judgmental stares of the elderly couple in one of the booths.

The weather was rather pleasant - chilly spring air creating a breeze that wafted around the building. Richie sat down on the bench in front of the restaurant, waiting to calm down before ordering an uber. He took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one, fishing out the phone to text Bill angrily. The other replied with a large paragraph that Richie didn’t even bother reading, putting the phone face-down on the bench.

“Mind if I sit here?” someone asked, and Richie lifted his eyes to meet glassy brown ones. Richie recognized him as the guy who sat in front of the handsome one, but he didn’t get a good look until now.

“Sure,” said Richie, checking the man over. He was a little wobbly and had to hold onto Richie’s shoulder which should’ve been irritating, but he was smiling drunkenly, and there was a pleasant pastry smell radiating off him that Richie liked a little too much.

“‘M sorry about your date,” said the guy, playing with the fingers in his lap.

Richie snorted in amusement. “Why are you sorry?” He looked down at the man’s warm brows that were searching all over his face.

“Because he was gawking over mine.”  _I like his voice._

“Not a boyfriend then?”

“Oh, no. Just a good blind date. But we don’t have much in common,” said the guy, smiling up warmly.

The man was wearing a large grey hoodie, so long that it covered the heels of small hands.  _Why would someone wear a hoodie to an upscale restaurant?_

“Why are you out here anyway?” asked Richie, lighting another cigarette.

“Wanted to see if you need a replacement.” The guy scooted closer to Richie, wiggling a little.  _Jesus, he’s like human cotton candy._

“Replacement?”

“For a date? Mine is definitely taking yours home.”

“Are you even allowed to drink here?”

The boy’s face straightened, and he deadpanned at Richie. “I’m twenty-five, you asshat.”

Richie’s mouth opened at a quick retort, an amused smile on his face. “Nice one, love.”

“ _You_ ’re nice. I mean, you look pretty nice. Pretty cute.”

Richie wanted to scream at how adorable the guy looked. His cheeks were flushed, and the brown hair was disheveled as if he just woke up from a nap. What he was doing on a date, looking all cozy couch mid-Sunday, Richie couldn’t grasp.

“D’you wanna… I dunno… have a date redo?” The guy was flipping Richie’s phone in his lap, nervous but seemingly determined.

“Oh…” A cigarette between his fingers was burning unattended.

“If you don’t want to, it’s-“

Richie smiled wide and nudged the other’s shoulder. “Where are we going, cutie?”

The guy beamed up and scooted closer. “Not cutie. Eddie.”

Richie left a cigarette between his lips and held out a hand for the guy to take. “C’mon, Eds. Lead the way.”

The guy rolled his eyes and Richie covered the small hand with his other one, smiling so wide that the cigarette came flying out of his mouth and straight into his lap. The guy acted quicker than him, swatting it to the ground. Eddie gave Richie a small smile, and the tall man melted, taking a bit longer than necessary to start speaking.

“Thanks, sweets,” said Richie, pinching the other’s cheek. The guy glared and slapped the bony hand away, but the corners of his mouth were twitching with amusement.

“I can’t drive,” said Eddie, and breathed out heavily, tugging the hood halfway down his face.

Richie’s stomach flipped unpleasantly, and the sudden switch to nervousness had him twitching for another cigarette, the old one still burning on the asphalt in front of the bench. He quickly lit a new one.

“You have keys?” Richie extended his hand in expectation but was instead met with a threatening pointed finger and pursed rosy lips, only made darker from the red wine.

“If I see one goddamn scratch on my car, I will follow you to the ends of the Earth and shove your hands so far up your ass, you’ll see stars.”

If Richie wasn’t so ridiculously attracted to the guy, he would’ve considered the snappy attitude utterly rude and uncalled for. But something was telling him that Eddie’s small posture was no match to the grandeur of his character, so he didn’t even try to come up with a retort.

“Sure thing, Eds. Where’d you park?” Richie took a long drag of a cigarette and stubbed it on the metal railing of the bench, orange sparks making their way to the ground.

Eddie stood up, planting his feet firmly, probably trying to avoid wobbling. He lifted the hoodie a bit, revealing a leather fanny pack that looked too well-made to be sold at Walmart, and fished out the car keys, extending them in Richie’s direction. He suppressed a grin at the get-up, but his eyes went comically wide when he noticed the gold blazon on the tip of the smooth car-shaped key.

“You drive a Porsche?”  _Fuckin’ dreamboat, this guy._

Eddie tugged the hoodie down again, an amused expression dancing on the slightly flushed face. Richie wanted to stand up and kiss his nose.

“Yup.” Eddie rocked on his heels for a second and then started pointedly walking towards the car.

Richie’s head dropped down a bit, and he laughed, delighted in the unexpected turn of events. The door creaked as someone made an exit and upon hearing a familiar voice, Richie jumped up from the bench and ran after Eddie whose hood dropped back down from the wind. The overgrown soft brown hair flipped from one side to another, and Richie couldn’t help but ruffle it gently. Eddie whipped around and glared at him, but the fierceness in his gaze softened almost instantly, and the corners of the pinched mouth jumped up.

Richie grinned and pressed the button to unlock the white 911, moaning at the pleasant sound it elicited. He heard Eddie giggle and round the car for the passenger seat, and Richie took a second to admire the car. The license plate “N0TURM4N” made Richie snort loudly, and there was a large heart shaped pride sticker on the lower right side of the window.  _That_  made Richie smile wide as a Cheshire cat.

He plopped down into the red leather seat and released a high-pitched squeal when the car roared to life, the engine’s sound growling through the open driver’s door. Eddie leaned on the separation, his pink cheek cradled in the small palm. Richie beamed at him and finally shut the door, and the radio chimed in right after. Eddie quickly clicked the navigation system and started plugging in the address, but Richie’s hand suddenly landed on his, slapping it away.

“What the fuck, dude?”

“Are you seriously using your car’s GPS?”

Eddie looked dumbfounded. “Um, yeah. Why the fuck not?”

“Um… Because I don’t care if it’s a fucking Rolls Royce - these maps are never updated, and don’t show you proper traffic.”

Eddie snorted and leaned back in his seat. “What do you suggest then?”

“Here-“ Richie lifted his hips to reach for the phone in the back pocket but didn’t find it there, and started tapping all over his jeans.

“Looking for this?” asked Eddie with a smug expression, wiggling the black phone in front of Richie’s face.

“How did you-“

“Password?” asked the man, already playing with the combinations on the screen.

“Hey, don’t-  _you’re going to lock it!”_ They wrestled in a mini-contest for several seconds before Eddie successfully locked his phone for a minute. Richie couldn’t help but giggle, and he didn’t even mind waiting until the device came back to life.

“I know the way. Back up, cowboy!” screamed Eddie, pointing to go forward even though the car was parked in front of a tree. Richie grabbed his wrist and twisted the arm to point backwards.

“Do I get to ride you, since I’m a cowboy?” asked Richie nonchalantly, backing up from the parking spot, his right arm draped over the back of Eddie’s seat.

The man gasped dramatically and slapped Richie’s thigh. “You’re filthy.”

“Sure am, sweet pea,” said Richie, tickling the back of the other’s neck with the fingers that peeked from the corner of Eddie’s seat. The guy giggled and leaned forward, sifting through music.

“Soooo, where are we going?” They left the small plaza with the restaurant and entered a slightly deserted highway.

“The beach.”

“What? Wait. The beach?”

“Yeah. We can’t drink or fuck there but, you know. Maybe that’s for the best,” said Eddie, giving the other a smug smile. Richie shivered noticeably.

“How is  _not_ fucking for the best?” Richie started tapping fingers on the wheel to an  _Arctic Monkeys_ song.

“Is that what you thought was gonna happen with the other one?”

“No. I don’t know. I’ve never been on a blind date before.”

Eddie finally sat back and buckled up. He didn’t give any more directions, and Richie didn’t ask - he knew where the beach is.

“Me neither.” Eddie’s voice was unexpectedly small.

“Did you not want to go or-“

“I got married when I was twenty-one.” Richie looked at him with wide eyes, mouth half-open. “I know. We weren’t even together that long. He finally signed the divorce papers two months ago, and this was the first time I went out.”

Richie was thoroughly surprised that Eddie was willing to share such personal information with him. But he was grateful to know about something like marriage in case this odd insta-connection between them turned into something more.

“Thanks for telling me,” said Richie with a warm smile, pulling up to a red light. He looked over at Eddie who was playing with the hem of the hoodie. “Did he divorce you because you wear pajamas to dates?”

Eddie laughed and punched Richie affectionately on the shoulder. “Dick.”

“That  _is_ my name, you know.”

Eddie suddenly covered his mouth in horror. “Oh my God, I never asked you.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s Richie.” The light switched green, revealing shiny browns again. Richie felt like drowning in them.

“Dick? How would you even get Dick out of Richard, it makes no-“

“You ask nicely.”

Eddie shrieked, stomping his feet on the floor. “No, no, no, no,  _NO!”_

They drove towards the beach in relative silence, humming and singing along to the  _AM_ album. Richie was enjoying Eddie’s company more than he anticipated. There was something about this funny, confident, spitfire of a guy who looked like the embodiment of a dream boy. Richie realized with painful transparency that he never quite felt this attached to a first date before. The thought terrified and excited him, but he was unwilling to let it pass and rather basked in the accelerated heartbeat that Eddie’s small smiles elicited.

He parked on the small circle right off the empty highway, pulling into the closest spot to the parking meter. He quickly peeked to memorize the license plate and paid for two hours  _(just in case)_  while Eddie was rummaging for something. Richie made his way back to the car and poked Eddie’s side where he was bent over the passenger seat.  _Nice view._ Eddie looked back at him and lifted a finger to indicate waiting. Richie used that time to light another cigarette before they went out on the sand.

Eddie finally emerged with a blanket and a rather large tote bag. He locked the car without looking back and stuck the keys back into the fanny pack. Richie reached out to grab the blanket, but the small man shifted to the side, dodging the long arm.

“I can handle it.”  _So. Fucking. Cute._

“I know you can, tough cookie. I’m just trying to be nice.”

Eddie took a moment to consider, looking up at Richie with those massive browns full of more warmth than Richie has seen in all of his ex-partners combined. It was overwhelming and not enough at the same time.

“Okay.”

They walked side by side, forearms brushing from the wobbly walk, and Richie felt like someone dumped him into a time machine to those first crush high school emotions. He spread the blanket at a comfortable distance from the shore, and both lied down on their backs, tops of their heads touching a bit. Richie barely came to the beach anymore because of work and other lame excuses, but he realized he missed this. The stars were more visible now because they were far from light pollution, and the soft sound of waves crashing was comforting and soothing. He looked to the side when he heard Eddie shuffling and saw that he turned to face him, small hands folded under the cheek. He was so adorable that Richie couldn’t help but mirror his actions.

“Why did you do the blind date?”

Richie let himself listen to the sounds of Eddie’s breathing merged with shifting of the sand for a second. “I’ve never really had a serious relationship before. Everyone always thinks I can’t commit, but it’s always been the other way around.”

Eddie hummed and then smiled wide, nudging his index finger against Richie’s cheek, stretching it. “Must be your large mouth.”

Richie grinned and bopped Eddie’s nose. “Nah, Eds. It’s a contributing factor for your attraction to me.”

“Who said I’m attracted to you?”

Richie shifted closer, enough for the pastry smell to waft onto his face, making him feel like goo. “You’re not?”

Eddie moved closer still, their noses touching. “It’s all the booze talking.”

Richie’s eyes darted to soft-looking pink lips, and he felt the desire to kiss him deep in his chest. “You don’t seem that drunk to me.”

“Hm.” Eddie’s face moved a bit, and he brushed his lips on Richie’s cheek, barely touching. Richie instantly flushed, and he felt the stinging goosebumps on his forearms.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you smell like the most delicious yellow cake in existence?” Eddie chuckled, and Richie brushed their noses together, caressing the other’s elbow through the hoodie.

“I own a bakery.”  _Of course he does, my God._

“Jesus, who spit you out from heaven.”

“Emphasis on  _spit.”_

“Ahhh, Eddie-Spaghetti, you’re a rival to my comedic nature.”

Eddie snorted and sat up to get something from the bag. Richie leaned on his palms, trying to see what’s in the tote.

“I have some things here I was experimenting on today. Want to try?”

Richie felt excitement bubble low in his abdomen. “Of course.”

Eddie beamed and started taking out small containers that were undeniably filled with pastries, all labeled with names and descriptions.  _Aw, cute OCD freak._

“Alright, this one has brandy cherries and some custard creme. Are you allergic to anything?” asked Eddie, stopping midway from reaching out the pastry on a napkin.

Richie leaned forward a little, kissing the tip of the other’s cold little nose. “Nope.”

He grabbed the tiny cake and bit into the crumbly crust, some of it inevitably falling into his lap. Eddie did the same with the second one, and Richie wondered if he brought these for the other date, or his company was special. He hoped it was the latter.

“Cripes, Eds, this is the best thing I’ve ever had. Is it salty a little?” Richie stuffed the rest of the pastry mid-sentence, some crumbs falling out of his mouth.

Eddie rolled his eyes and squished Richie’s cheeks together to close the mouth. Richie just winked back.

“Yeah, I’m experimenting with flavor. I want it to sort of change as you’re eating it. Sweet and salty is my favorite combo.”

“Mine too,” said Richie, leaning forward again and kissing the other’s cheek quickly.

Eddie squealed excitedly and chased Richie’s face, finally connecting their lips. It was not an open kiss, and both of their lips were dry and covered with powdered sugar, but Richie has never felt a shiver of those dimensions from a barely-there peck. Everything about Eddie was different, scary and exciting, but sweet like candy. He was having more fun that he’s ever had on a date, and Eddie  _was_ an amazing baker. Richie decided that his next goal in life is to teach himself how to make homemade cookies to impress Eddie on another one of their outings.  _Already thinking that far, Tozier? That sure never happened before._

They tried a couple of other things, like a small lemon cake covered in caramel that neither of them liked but finished anyway. And a coffee cake with large grains of sea salt that were too crunchy but somehow tasted very good with the gooey chocolate middle. Richie insisted on calling it a sodium lava cake, and Eddie said that even though it’s the best idea he’s ever heard, he’s sure that nobody would actually order that. By the time they were done with all of the containers, they were full once again, lying on their backs, fingers laced together.

“Hey, Eds?” said Richie, licking off the remaining chocolate from one of his fingers. Eddie used a wet napkin.

“Would you ever stop calling me that? It’s not my name.“

“No. Can I still ask you something?”

“No.”

Richie flipped on his stomach and draped himself halfway on top of Eddie.  _Thank God I didn’t meet him when I was sixteen. I’d be sporting a full woody by now._

“Would you like to do this again?”

Eddie smiled sweetly and leaned on his elbows to level with Richie’s face. “And what will I get in return?”

“Oh,  _besides_ my huge dick and a dazzling personality?”

Eddie’s head fell back in laughter. “You have the smallest ego out of anyone I’ve ever met.”

“ _Ha-ha._ I tell it like I see it.”

“You idiot, people say that if they’re referring to someone else, not themselves.”

“You get the gist of it.”

“I want  _your_ jizz on it.”

Richie’s mouth fell open, and he laughed loud, letting his face fall on Eddie’s chest. He could feel the other shake with silent laughter too.

“Oh, Eds. I think we’re meant to be.”

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: creamy-brown-eyes


End file.
